CenturyLink

CenturyLink appreciates Ms. [redacted] giving us the opportunity to review the handling of her account. At CenturyLink we strive to provide outstanding customer service and her comments are appreciated plus utilized to enhance our training. Upon further review of all concerns with Ms. [redacted], I have...

agreed to credit back $307.11 due to multiple billing issues. The credit includes both the lease modem and the disputed early termination fees. Ms. [redacted] will pay the remaining final billing owed difference of $27.59. CenturyLink apologizes for any inconvenience or frustration this issue may have caused Ms. [redacted] CenturyLink Customer Advocacy Group

I have read the customer's reply. The customer has already been advised on why their first bill was higher than expected via email on 2/15/16 as follows. You set up services in Sept of 2015 and no payment has ever been made.  According to the notes on the install order, your monthly recurring charges would be $65.48 plus taxes plus one time connection fees.  Any time you install services your bill is prorated and 1 month in advance. You installed on the 8th of the month and your billing cycle begins on the 26th, so your first bill was 1 month plus 18 days of services I have since adjusted the monthly rate difference of $124.00 credit given on 3/17/16 the remaining charges are for the  monthly charges from 9/8/2015 to 2/18/2016 of service along with the modem cost of $99.99. Once the modem is returned and we are given the tracking number to verify we can adjust the modem charge of $99.99 off the balance which is currently $393.31. Payment can be made to CenturyLink PO Box 2961 Phoenix AZ 85062 2961.  I have requested the customer be sent copies of all their bills to their current address for their review.Sincerely,[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 4, 2015/07/10) */
CenturyLink appreciates Mrs. [redacted] giving us the opportunity to review the handling of her account. At CenturyLink we strive to provide outstanding customer service and his comments are appreciated plus utilized to enhance our training.
Upon...

review, I have applied the total amount for the early termination fee of $119.80 back to the account due to leaving the service area. Please allow 7-21 days for the refund to be processed.
I apologize for any confusion in-regards to removing CenturyLink Service.
**
Customer Advocacy
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 6, 2015/07/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 4, 2015/09/11) */
09/11/2015
CenturyLink has received a copy of the Revdex.com complaint filed by [redacted]. Below are our findings:
Upon research of Mr. [redacted]'s CenturyLink account, I found an order was placed and was due dated for...

08/17/2015 to change the speed of internet from 15m to 8m with notations of "talked to [redacted] who stated had nothing but issues since going to 15m. [redacted] request to go back to 8m speed immediately. I advised was not sure if it would fix the issue but placed order." On 08/18/2015 another order was placed to from 8m back to 15m with notes of "[redacted] decided to convert back to the 15mg bonded verses having to go through the process of changing out his router."
I reached out to the escalated internet help desk as there were no trouble tickets to dispatch a technician within the dispatch system. I was advised on 08/24/2015 "[redacted]' service has been up and running for 4 days now. Back on the 19th the [redacted] was demanding a dispatch be made for that day, when the agent created the dispatch it dated out for the 21st, it was escalated to a supervisor and the supervisor followed procedure and expedited the issue to the APS (area plant supervisor) already and the ticket was resolved a day early on the 20th."
Unfortunately, CenturyLink only offers credits for out of service when the service is non-functioning for a full 24 hours and must be reported to CenturyLink internet help desk (X-XXX-XXX-XXXX) as soon as the issue is noticed, credit will not be issued without trouble shooting measures and notations. However, on 08/18/2015, Mr. [redacted]'s CenturyLink account had been issued credits in the amount of $37.19 as a courtesy for the issues. Additional credits are not warranted as the internet portion of the package Mr. [redacted] subscribes to is $7.33 a month.
CenturyLink strives to provide quality products and services and appreciates the opportunity to address Mr. [redacted]'s issue. We regret he feels he may not have received such service and apologize for any inconvenience he may have experienced related to this situation.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
CenturyLink Customer Advocacy
Consumer /Small Business Sales and Care
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 6, 2015/09/15) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
Since the writing of this complaint I have had an additional 5 day outage. The switching from 15m to 10m had nothing to do with the original issue. I did this in hopes that it would resolve the immediate problem. I was not informed that the Modem in my house did not support this slower speed. The problem with CenturyLink's response is that they delayed the correct repair by 48 hours because they put this in the Eng. queue for troubleshooting even though I told them that they had to dispatch a filed technician to my home or the local DSL switch to resolve the same issue for the 2 previous outages. The technician during the last service call tried to make the technical support group aware that there is an ongoing issue that needs to be escalated because the problem is at the remote switch. Ultimately he had to resort to the same patch repair he had done before and left my home somewhat frustrated by the lack of understanding of this issue by the Centurylink Engineering group. I have now subscribed to a totally separate 10M DSL line because I have no confidence in the 15M line. I had no issues with the original 10M DSL line which we used for 8 months prior to our upgrade. I suspect there is some sort of compatibility issue with the Modems that Centurylink is providing or there is and issue with the local DSL switch. I am now bearing the cost of 2 separate DSL lines to insure that I don't go through this again because my wife is a remote recruiter and has to have reliable service to support her job. When we have an outage of this nature she has to commute 160 miles a day to an office in Winston Salem NC to perform her job duties. We were without service for a total of 15 days in less than 2 months because all three outages occurred on a Friday. All three outages were due to the same issue and had to be resolved by a local field service technician. I don't feel like I should have to resort to paying an additional $35.00 a month to Centurylink just to have a reliable connection. I am the one who requested the additional line and to their credit Centurylink did agree to waive all installation cost for the 2nd line because of the outage history. I plan to continue with the 2nd line until such time that my wife retires next year. I have given a "No" response because the root cause of the 15M outage has not been determined or resolved and this is according to 2 different local field technicians.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 8, 2015/09/29) */
09/29/2015
In response to Mr. [redacted]'s rebuttal, I requested information from the internet escalations team and was given this response:
There was no point in the customer getting a second HSI service any actual outage that effects the 15m is going to effect the 8m, both connections are out of the same DSLAM and redback. The modems are backwards compatible they just have to be reset to recognize the new settings. Both lines are up and working with good line stats. The authentication history shows the connections have been up and going for the last 30 days except the times during outages. There are area outages affecting multiple customers.
Please see the Term agreement passage found at www.centurylink.com/terms :
CenturyLink(r) High-Speed Internet and Internet Access Services Residential Terms and Conditions
6. AVAILABILITY OF AND CHANGES TO SERVICE.
A. Service and Bandwidth Availability and Speed. The Service you select may not be available in all areas or at the rates, speeds, or bandwidth generally marketed, and some locations may not qualify for the Service even if initial testing showed that your line was qualified. We will provision qualified HSI Service lines at the maximum line rate available to your location based on our standard line qualification procedures, unless you have selected a level of service with a lower maximum line rate. Bandwidth is provided on a per-line (not a per-device) basis. The bandwidth available to each device connected to the network will vary depending upon the number, type and configuration of devices using the Service and the type of use (e.g., streaming media), among other factors. The speed of the Service will vary based on network or Internet congestion, your computer configuration, the condition of your telephone line and the wiring inside your location, among other factors. We make no guarantees or representations related to download or upload speeds. We and our suppliers reserve the right, at any time, with or without prior notice to you, to restrict or suspend the Services to perform maintenance activities and to maintain session control. We assume no responsibility or liability for interruption of the Services or Service performance differences.
I advise Mr. [redacted] to call CenturyLink internet help desk (X-XXX-XXX-XXXX) if there are any further issues and/or to be advised if the issue is isolated to his service or an area outage.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
CenturyLink Customer Advocacy
Consumer /Small Business Sales and Care
Final Consumer Response /* (4200, 14, 2015/10/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
I want Centurylink to update their files to reflect that there were 3 different outages which all resulted in a minimum outage of 5 days each. I will continue to carry a 2nd DSL line in order to insure that my wife doesn't have to drive 160 miles round trip due to additional outages. The technician that contacted me this past week asked for assistance in logging onto my modem so that he could update the firmware but the admin password ** apparently incorrect because after 6 to 7 attempts we gave up because it just kept giving "incorrect login" on every attempt. I want Centruylinks assurance that the firmware has been updated. Once I receive that I will deem this to have been satisfactorily resolved.

CenturyLink appreciates Mr. [redacted] giving us the opportunity to review the handling of his account. At CenturyLink we strive to provide outstanding customer service and his comments are appreciated plus utilized to enhance our training. Upon review, I verified Mr. [redacted] requested his service be...

moved to his new address. Unfortunately, CenturyLink missed the appointment to install his service. We apologize for this error. The final billing statement issued shows the amount of $13.39 due. I have credited that amount in full as well as $6.56 for 4 days billed on his previous statement as the service did not move to his new address. If Mr. [redacted] receives any further statements with a balance due from CenturyLink, he may respond to his Revdex.com complaint and we will look into it. CenturyLink apologizes for any inconvenience or frustration this issue may have caused Mr. [redacted] CenturyLink Customer Advocacy Group Tell us why here...

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/07/10) */
CenturyLink appreciates Mr. [redacted] giving us an opportunity to review the handling of his account. At CenturyLink we strive to provide outstanding customer service and his comments are appreciated plus utilized to enhance our...

training.
Upon review of the current promotion Mr. [redacted] has on his account it requires Auto Pay, Electronic Billing and a one year contract which will provide DSL for one year at $ 29.95. However, Mr. [redacted] is also renting the CenturyLink modem which is an additional $ 7.99 per month.
The June 13, 2015 statement currently reflects a credit of $ 25.71 and will carry over to the July statement. Upon Mr. [redacted] contacting CenturyLink on June 22, 2015 a credit of $ 94.08 was provided and on June 1, 2015 another adjustment of $ 72.12 had been provided.
After a complete review of Mr. [redacted] account, CenturyLink records indicate the billing issues has been resolved.
I apologize for any inconvenience Mr. [redacted] has encountered as CenturyLink wants each and every contact with our Valued Customers to be a pleasant experience.
Regards,
[redacted]
Customer Advocacy Manager
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (3000, 7, 2015/07/13) */
(The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
While CenturyLink claims that my account has been properly balanced, this is not true.
This is the statement that I copied from my CenturyLink account screen at 10:39 MDT:
Previous Balance 136.85
New Charges Due 7/7/15 93.49
Total Amount Due $230.34
Payment Due By 7/7/15
Your account is past due in the amount of $136.85. If already paid, please disregard.
The company continues to grossly overcharge me, and fails to correct its errors, while pretending that it has made the corrections.
Final Business Response /* (4000, 13, 2015/07/20) */
CenturyLink appreciates Mr. [redacted] requesting additional information in regards to his account.
Based on another review, CenturyLink records indicate the balance on the July 13th, 2015 statement was $ 25.71 CR. However, the current charges were $ 19.73 - $ 25.71 Credit = balance of $ 5.98 credit.
I have enclosed a copy of the July 13, 2015 statement which shows the breakdown of the $ 19.73 Mr. [redacted] was questioning.
Summary of Your New Charges
Service Total With
Savings Internet - page 3
Internet Monthly Charges 29.95
Related Monthly Charges 9.98
Service Additions & Changes - 20.72
Taxes, Fees & Surcharges .52
Total Internet Service $19.73
Total New Charges $19.73
In the future Mr. [redacted]'s account will bill the monthly amount of $ 29.95(after the $ 34.05 discount)until the promotional rates expires along with the $ 7.99 Modem lease fee plus any applicable taxes and/or surcharges.
I am hopeful this will assist Mr. [redacted]'s questions he has on the account. Again, I apologize for any inconvenience.
Regards,
[redacted]
Customer Advocacy Manager
Attachment: July 2015 statement
Final Consumer Response /* (2000, 15, 2015/07/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
I accept the company's resolution, contingent on the CenturyLink service representative's promise (whom I spoke with today) assuring me that I can return the modem that was sent to me and thus avoid "rental fees" on the modem. I have the modem packaged, and, even as we speak, I am on-hold with a CenturyLink telephone representative, who is trying to find the address where I can mail the unneeded modem (so far, this phone call has taken 9 minutes, being put on hold, and waiting form someone who knows how to send me a "modem return label.")
Thanks, Revdex.com, for your help.

I have reviewed the complaint from [redacted] regarding not receiving a visa gift card for his bundle package order. I checked our rewards redemption website and didn't find any pending reward cards for this customer's account number. I did find we had a $150 reward card for 3 service bundle offers so as a...

courtesy I have placed a $150.00 credit on the customer's account. They will see the credit on their next billing statement we apologize for the confusion and conflicting information regarding this promotion.Sincerely,Mr.[redacted]

To whom it may concern: I have received and reviewed the customers’ complaint and found the following: AS far as the Centurylink services that are billed the established date of the service noted in this complaint is as follows: For account number ###-###-#### [redacted] the service was established...

February 24th, 2016 and this included a modem lease. If the customer already owned this equipment we can adjust accordingly. Please have the customer provide the serial number and account number associated with the modem in use. If it matches any documentation in the CenturyLink equipment database that indicates the customer has already paid for this equipment, the lease charge will be removed and back dated to adjust for Lease charges previously billed relative to this account. The customer can send this information to [redacted] for further review. CenturyLink acknowledges the customers concerns and apologizes for any issues or inconvenience that may have been experienced.  Sincerely, [redacted] Executive Office Regulatory Escalations Analyst CenturyLink Customer Advocacy Consumer/Small Business Sales and Care

I have reviewed the complaint from [redacted] regarding being charged a late fee every month in error. I reviewed the account notes supporting [redacted] statement of the ongoing issue. It seems this was caused by our billing system being out of sync. I show we credited all the late fees, issued the requested...

courtesy credit and had our Billing Escalation Department correct the coding that was causing the error. CenturyLink apologizes for the avoidable billing error and the time it took us to resolve we truly dropped the ball with this issue. If [redacted] needs any additional assistance we are happy to help.Sincerely,Mr.T[redacted]

I have received a copy of the Revdex.com complaint filed by Ms. [redacted], regarding a billing dispute. After investigation of  Ms. [redacted]'s account it has been found that the charges are valid and at this time we sustain the charges. Our investigation showed that Ms....

[redacted] failed to meet the promotional requirements of setting up auto payment and paperless billing which caused the rate to be $10 more a month. Our records also indicate that she was informed of this at the time of the installation and when she called regarding the rate on her monthly billing statements. Furthermore the account was under a 12 month service agreement which was broken so an early termination fee was assessed on the account for closing the account before the 12 months had expired. Our records also indicate that the customer was leasing the modem for $9.99 a month. We do not offer a lease to own program with our equipment. Customers have the option to lease a modem for $9.99 a month which carries a warranty for the whole time that it is leased. The second option is they can purchase a modem for $99.99 and we will warranty the modem for 1 year. We do not convert lease payments into the purchasing of a modem. The modem has not been returned after service was canceled therefor a unreturned equipment fee was also assessed on the account. We have sent another return label should Ms. [redacted] choose to return the modem to us the unreturned equipment fee will be reversed. Please obtain a tracking number from [redacted] for your records if the modem is shipped back. CenturyLink appreciates Ms. [redacted]'s service to our country as a Veteran, and apologizes for the frustration she has expressed.  Sincerely, Mr. C[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: Have made no attempt to contact me. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:  1)  CenturyLink has not addressed the fact that my original package (which should not have been changed and which was given to me because I was a long-time customer since 1989) was arbitrarily changed by CenturyLink.  This package should have been effective until March 2017.  I was assured in my telephone conversation on June 3, 2016 that the small increase in my internet speed was within my package and WOULD RESULT IN NO CHANGE TO MY BILL.  I want CenturyLink to correct their error and stand behind what their customer representatives say to clients.  2)  I was given a loyalty credit on July 16, 2016 to make up the difference between my old package (which I was told no longer existed) and the new package resulting from CenturyLink's increase between the two.  The $20 loyalty credit was to last for 12 months but has disappeared after only a month or two.  I would like for CenturyLink to honor the information given me by their customer representatives by giving me the preferred package for long-time customers and putting back the loyalty credits promised to me.  This information is reflected in their computers history of my case.  Surely my being a customer with them since 1989 warrants more than a being sorry about the miscommunication!
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: My account number is ###-###-#### [redacted], I have not received a bill nor I'm I able to log on through the website. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

I have reviewed the customer's reply regarding a disputed bill on a closed account. I was able to find the old account number it is [redacted] I show the customer called in on 8/4/15 to cancel his service which we did on 8/5/15. [redacted] gave us the address of [redacted] [redacted]  [redacted] to send his final bill to which we did on 8/4/15. The balance on the account is from the 7/25/15 bill of $117.98 less the credits back for canceling on 8/5/15 -$37.33= balance owing of $80.65 that has never been paid. Based on my findings these charges are correct and valid for services from 7/25/15 to 8/5/15. The customer can pay them via our Credit Department [redacted].  We apologize for any frustration this issue has caused.Sincerely,[redacted]

CenturyLink appreciates Ms. [redacted] giving us the opportunity to review the handling of her account. At CenturyLink we strive to provide outstanding customer service and her comments are appreciated plus utilized to enhance our training. Upon review, Ms. [redacted] will need to provide proof for the...

modem return. Anytime a modem is returned to our stores, customers are provided a receipt. All disputed charges are valid and have been sustained. ** CenturyLink Customer Advocacy Group

I have received a copy of the Revdex.com complaint filed by Mr. [redacted] regarding a billing dispute. After investigation of Mr. [redacted]s account it has been found that Centurylink has issued and sent 4 different return labels to the customers current address at [redacted]...

[redacted]. The dates that these were sent are 09/20/17 on the initial disconnection of the account and then 2 on 12/05/17 and an additional one on 12/13/17.  Due to the cost of the sent labels and the cost to send additional labels to the customer we have made the business decision to credit the modem charge on the customers account to resolve this complaint and situation. The account is now at a zero balance and completely closed. The customer may keep the modem. Centurylink apologizes for the frustration encountered. Sincerely, Mr. [redacted]

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because: One time credits do not make up for the fact that I was lied to in order to sign up for this service.  The rate I was given and the terms relayed have not been implemented despite your acknowledging your error.  I am asking for what was promised when I agreed to service.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

I have reviewed the Revdex.com Complaint from [redacted] regarding a billing dispute. I reviewed the account this has already been resolved via the FCC complaint he filed with the below resolution. CenturyLink regrets any confusion regarding the billing. Mr. [redacted] has been correctly...

billed for the services he has and the price quoted. Notes on the account indicate that he was quoted $71.90 plus $9.99 for the modem, plus taxes, fees and surcharges, approximately $100. His first bill included prorated charges, plus the standard one month in advance. He was quoted installation charges of $59.99 for the internet installation, a $15 activation fee, plus $17.75 connection fee for the phone. He received a credit for $24.85 on November 3, 2016, which included the calls to Toronto. CenturyLink has also adjusted $28.00 for late fees billed due to the confusion regarding the rate.  Sincerely,[redacted]

Initial Business Response /* (1000, 5, 2015/12/10) */
I have received and reviewed the Revdex.com complaint from [redacted] regarding a unreturned modem charge. It sounds like based on the customers update this issue has been resolved if not please have the customer provide the account number...

I can't find it based on the information provided.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Initial Consumer Rebuttal /* (2000, 7, 2015/12/23) */
(The consumer indicated he/she ACCEPTED the response from the business.)
My account was finally settled thanks to one honest employee notifying me that my modem was returned in June, as I told multiple representatives who denied my claims. I assume they all have access to the same information and could see this as well. Thanks to [redacted] on their social media team, the charge was removed from my account and the collections agency was notified. (For reference, my account number/phone number associated with my account is XXXXXXXXXX). While I accept the response as my account has finally been rectified, I stand by my statement that my account was wrongly and fraudulently put into and held in collections for a device that has been in their possession the entire time. My entire experience with Century Link was nothing but negative, stressful and confusing and I will be sure to avoid them at all costs in the future. A company that holds you, the consumer, accountable for their representatives mistakes, never sends you any communication about outstanding balances and then admittedly sends your account to collections a week after a bill supposedly went out are unethical and untrustworthy, in my opinion.